2 . The summer after my freshman year college, I had to get my first job. This was probably one of the _________ tasks I have ever had to do. I had never held a job when I was in high school because my parents wanted me to put all my _________ into my studies.

At first, it was very hard. I filled out dozens of _________ but got no calls back in the first two weeks. It made sense because I had _________ no job experience. All I could _________ was that being a high school graduate and a year of college.

However, halfway through the third week, I finally got a call back from one of the places I _________. We had set up a meeting time, and after my _________, I was more than ready to start working the following Monday. I was _________ at the chance of working for my wages.

When I started, it was very clear that I was not _________. I made mistakes with orders and often __________ sales promotions (推销). My parents made a bet I would not __________ the first two weeks, and I would be back looking for more __________. However, I stuck with it.

After working a while, I got better at orders, and always __________ the cheaper options for customers. A couple of weeks later, I had been told by the manager that I had __________ the award of the best employee of the month. It taught me a lot about responsibility and gave me the __________ of working.

4 . When I was five, my parents began to place me in a variety of different sports. The first ________ was gymnastics, which was a complete ________. The second was track and field. Track was fun at first, I actually liked to run and I was pretty fast. When I joined the team, the ________ was going to begin soon, only giving me three weeks to ________ for my first track meet.

I ________ for a while and then the day of the track meet arrived. Arriving at the stadium I was ________ to see how huge it looked. Before my race I did my warm ups while watching the other kids run their races with a few hundred audience. The ________ of the stadium was something I never felt before.

While ________ the starting line to run the 400m dash, I started to feel ________! At the starting line, we sat there silently waiting for the gun to ________. In that silence I continued to ________ myself and I felt like I was going to win. The gun finally shot and racers began a(n)________ dash to the finish line. The first 100 meters I was doing great. Then came the 200m mark, and my legs were dying. I was slowing down still trying to run. Alone ________ I was on the track, I still walked to finish line. When seeing my mother, I burst into tears. That race was probably the most ________ one in my life. Even though I gave up running track and field, I am grateful for what I experienced when I was 5 because it ________ me who I am today.

5 . When danger strikes, firefighters are heroes who put their lives at risk to keep everyone safe. But in ________ moments, they can also go the extra mile for someone with something so simple yet ________. This is especially heartwarming when children are at the receiving end of their ________. Now, a firefighter went out of his way to make sure that a kid didn’t feel ________ when their team spent a day with some local children.

A video shows a(n) ________ between some kids and a firefighter. To make the experience more ________, the children are all wearing red firefighter helmets (头盔) — except one. Her locks are in a high ponytail (马尾辫), ________ her from putting her helmet on. That’s when a young firefighter ________, bringing out his tool to cut a ________ in the child’s tiny helmet.

The firefighter is ________ by the kid’s older cousin, who dutifully ________ his fingers out to mark the width of his cousin’s hairdo. The other kid then puts the helmet on his friend, making sure her hair ________ through the hole — and it does! Happy with the result, she shares a fist bump (碰) with the firefighter, ________ showing off a brand new firefighter helmet.

What passes for a small ________ — a firefighter creating a helmet in several seconds — can make a big ________ to a kid’s confidence. This small act brought visible joy to the child and made her feel welcome in an otherwise lonely moment.

6 . 12-year-old Ryan lives in a family with a tight budget. Despite their _______ circumstances, his parents filled their home with boundless affection, always stretching their limited resources to _______ that Ryan felt loved. Ryan, aware of his parents’ tireless efforts, responded to their love with heartfelt _______ .

With December’s cold _______, the anticipation of Christmas grew stronger. However, Ryan noticed his parents’ _______. They were worried about _______ the decorations and the presents they would exchange with neighbors and loved ones.

Sensing their unease, Ryan _______ to step up and earn some extra _______. After the school bell rang and during leisurely weekends, he knocked on doors, offering his helping hand with tasks like clearing leaves in his neighbors’ yards and _______ their pets by taking them on energetic walks. His sincerity and hard work quickly won over the hearts of his neighbors who ________ provided opportunities for Ryan.

Weeks passed, and Ryan’s pockets were filled with coins and bills. With a mix of ________and nervousness, he ________ his parents the carefully saved earnings. Deeply moved, they hugged Ryan tightly.

This deeply ________ action not only brought a wave of relief and joy to his parents but also helped Ryan realize that being part of a family meant ________ both joys and responsibilities. Through his small yet significant contribution, he understood that everyone has the ________ to bring light into their home, making it a better place.

7 . Dr. Franeis Collins is one of America’s leading scientists. In an interview, Dr. Collins was asked if there was any special spark (火花) or any moment in particular that _________ him to pursue a life of science. Dr. Collins _________ that in fact there was. He said that when he was in high school, on the first day of his first science course, the teacher handed each student a box _________. The boxes were sealed (封住) on the outside and hollow (空的) on the inside. But each box _________ something. And as young Collins turned the box on its side and turned it around, he could _________ something rolling around inside.

What was it? The teacher told the students that their _________ was to determine what was inside the box. They could _________ any kind of test or ask any kind of question that would lead them to find out what was inside the box. But they couldn’t _________ the box. They had to find ways to _________ what was in the box.

“That’s what __________ is,” the teacher carefully __________, “being curious, and thinking of questions to ask, until you find out the answer.” Dr. Collins was __________. He said that that day in class completely __________ his life. From then on, he was __________ to spending a life in science, where his job was to be __________ and ask lots of questions.

8 . When Alex Walker was four, she had to stay in the hospital to get some tests for her epilepsy (癫痫). Her dad had given her a stuffed animal, Sky Bear, which kept her ________. But when she saw other kids in the hospital without stuffed animals, she felt ________.

Alex had ________ up some money that she had ________ to use at Chuck E. Cheese. ________, she used it to buy stuffed animals for the other ________ on her hospital floor. They were so happy to receive the gifts that Alex decided to ________ even more. She called her project Alex’s Fluffy (绒毛的) Buddies and began ________ money by growing and selling tomato plants and flowers. “I love growing things,” she says. “And I know people love to eat tomatoes because they’re really good.”

As people heard about Alex’s Fluffy Buddies, they wanted to ________. They sent her stuffed animals and money to buy more. In the last six years, Alex has ________ almost 8,000 Fluffy Buddies to hospitals, shelters, and other programs. “People are ________ to help so that I can make kids happy,” she explains.

Alex also raises ________ for Canine Assistants, the organization that recently provided her with a service dog. “I want other kids to have a friend to help them through ________ times too,” Alex says. “I still give away Fluffy Buddies and donate to Canine Assistants. I want to help as much as I can! If you want to help others, look for something people ________ but they don’t have, or look for a way to ________ someone’s day. See how you can help.”

9 . A man got depressed about life. In spite of all his ________, he got nothing but failure. Feeling ________, he left everything and relaxed himself in the woods, where he met a farmer. The man shared his ________ with the farmer.

“Do you see that fern (蕨类植物) and bamboo there?” the farmer said, pointing towards two ________. He told the man that when he planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, he took very good care of them. Within a short period of time, the fern ________ grew from the earth. However, ________ the bamboo seed had been watered for years, it did not outwardly grow as much as an inch. But the farmer did not ________ the bamboo seed and continued to ________ it. By the fifth year, a tiny sprout (嫩芽) grew out of the ________. And within six months, the tree grew a hundred feet tall.

“So, did the bamboo tree lie quietly for four years only to grow rapidly in the ________?” the farmer asked. The answer is quite ________. The little tree was growing underground, developing a root system which was ________ enough to support its potential for outward ________ in the fifth year and beyond.

“Did you know that you had been ________ all the time and that you were growing strong roots?” said the farmer. Hearing the farmer’s words, the man ________ the value of hard work.

10 . Last year, my younger brother Darrin tore the old engine out of his Dodge Challenger. Then he ________ it piece by piece, and put it back together again all by himself. He was 16. All he ________ was a Chilton’s shop manual (使用手册) for the car, his own curiosity, and a strong desire to ________ how things worked.

Later, I asked him about this ________ and how he made it. His answer was ________ — he just did it. He wanted a new car and couldn’t afford to buy another one, so this was really his only ________. He had nothing to lose and was highly ________ to make the engine work. He ________ with it, paid close attention to how he took it apart, made a lot of mistakes, and reached points where he wasn’t ________ what to do next. When that happened, he asked a friend or a friend’s dad for ________, tried this and tried that, until he finished the work. To me it was a (n) ________ achievement.

Our ________ to do hard things increases when we try doing those hard things. It is ________ limited by our own will and imagination. We learn by trying, by making mistakes, and by ________ help from those who know more sometimes just a little more-than we do.

Never ________ trying new things. The more one does, the more one can do.